Mayor_Shredder — 8 years ago(January 18, 2018 10:30 PM)

If you write, host, or even comment on a blog, you need to know your rights and responsibilities under defamation law. You may be risking more than you know.
Since legalese can be intimidating, I thought I'd attempt a plain-English overview of the subject. To prove libel, which is the same thing as written defamation, the plaintiff has to prove that the blogger published a false statement of fact about the plaintiff that harmed the plaintiff's reputation. A "false statement of fact" is a statement about the plaintiff that is not true.
Then there's the matter of "harming the plaintiff's reputation." It's one thing to say that a false statement harmed your reputation, but if you can't demonstrate damages, the suit may be effectively worthless. Damages would include, for example, losing X customers that represent Y income, suffering emotional distress and so on.
If the plaintiff is a "public figure," however, then the plaintiff must prove actual malice–a higher burden of proof. That means that the blogger knew that the statement wasn't true or didn't care.
This one should be taken with care from Doodles.
Read more:
https://www.cnet.com/news/bloggers-beware-youre-liable-to-commit-libel/